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ATSDR Releases Public Health Assessment Concerning Lead
for the Omaha Lead Site, Omaha, Neb.

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, today is issuing for public review
and comment a public health assessment for the Omaha Lead site, Omaha, Neb.
The site is on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) and ATSDR is required
by Congress to conduct public health assessments on all sites proposed to
the NPL. The public health assessment was completed to evaluate whether past,
current, or future exposures at the Omaha Lead Site are causing harm to persons
living in or near the site.

The Omaha Lead site includes residential
properties, childcare facilities, schools, and other properties in the city
of Omaha. Those properties have been contaminated with lead from air emissions
from lead-refining operations, which operated from the 1870s until 1997, and
other sources, including lead-based paint. The 8,840-acre site area extends
south from Ames Avenue to L Street and eastward from 45th Street to the Missouri
River, excluding the central business district. ATSDR's evaluation of the
2000 Census data indicates that about 86,000 residents live within the identified
site area. Of these, 9,700 are children 6 and younger.

ATSDR reviewed blood lead testing
results for about 12,800 children, soil lead data for about 15,000 properties,
and various exposure scenarios.

On the basis of that review, ATSDR
determined the following:

The ongoing exposure to lead
of children under 6 years old living in or near the Omaha Lead initial site
investigation area puts them at risk of lead-related health effects.

From July 2000 through August
2002, nearly 300 children living in or near the Omaha Lead site were reported
with blood lead levels of 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or greater.
The majority of these children had blood lead levels between 10 µg/dL
and 40 µg/dL and may be at risk for decreases in IQ, slightly impaired
hearing and growth, and problems metabolizing vitamin D.

For the Omaha Lead site area,
9.7% of children had blood lead levels of 10 µg/dL or greater compared
to 2.0% and 3.1% for Nebraska and the United States, respectively.

Children living in the Omaha Lead
site area are exposed to two major sources of lead-lead-based paint and past
emissions from the ASARCO refinery. More than 60% of the homes in the site
area likely have lead-based paint. Over 40% of the properties tested in the
site area had at least one sample above the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) action level of 400 ppm. The mean soil lead level for the Omaha
Lead site area was 437 parts per million (ppm).

ATSDR recommends the following:

The county, state and federal
agencies involved with this situation should develop a plan concerning lead
hazards that would increase public knowledge regarding lead hazards, promote
primary prevention activities, and promote and facilitate yearly blood lead
testing for all children 6 years and under living in or near the Omaha Lead
initial site investigation area.

This plan should include aggressive
blood lead testing of young children to increase the likelihood of identifying
children currently exposed. This would allow timely interventions such as
mitigation of lead-based paint and cleanup of contaminated soil.

The health assessment is available
for public review and comment from June 7 through August 6 at these three
library locations in Omaha:

Comments on the public health assessment
must be made in writing. Mail comments to
Chief, Program Evaluation, Records and Information Services Branch
ATSDR
1600 Clifton Road, N.E. (MS E-60)
Atlanta, GA 30333

Comments received during the public
comment period will be logged in to the ATSDR administrative record for this
health assessment. Comments received, without the names of individuals who
submitted them, and ATSDR responses to the comments will appear in an appendix
to the final public health assessment. Names of those who submit comments,
however, will be subject to release for requests made under the U.S. Freedom
of Information Act.

For more information, community
members can contact Senior Environmental Epidemiologist John Crellin or Environmental
Health Scientist Annmarie DePasquale toll-free at 1-888-422-8737. Regional
Representative Sue Casteel also may be contacted at 913-551-1312. Callers
should refer to the Omaha Lead site in Omaha, Neb.

Related News Releases For Douglas County, Omaha, Nebraska

ATSDR Finds Arsenic in Some East Omaha YardsRelease Date: Monday, November 07, 2005
Elevated levels of arsenic were found at more than 700 properties in East Omaha, Neb., says a report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). High levels of arsenic might pose a health concern for some children and adults.

ATSDR Releases Cancer Data Review for Omaha Lead SiteRelease Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will release its Cancer Data Review tomorrow at the Omaha Lead Site Community Advisory Group (OLS CAG) meeting. The review found that, in some cases, the rates of new cancer cases in the Omaha Lead Site differ from new cancer rates in Douglas County and Nebraska.

ATSDR Releases Findings for Omaha Lead SiteRelease Date: Monday, May 09, 2005
Ongoing exposure to lead in children 6 years of age and younger living in or near the Omaha Lead site in Douglas County, Neb., is a public health hazard, says the public health assessment released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Omaha Lead Refinery Site Health Assessment in NebraskaRelease Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2004
A public availability session will be held in Omaha, Neb., to discuss the public health assessment (PHA) on the Omaha Lead Refinery site in Omaha, Neb. ATSDR recently issued the PHA for public review and comment. The agency finds the exposure to lead by children under 6 who live in or near the site puts them at risk of lead-related health effects